Addressing Issues

I haven’t written for this blog in a long time. So many things have been happening in my personal life that has made it difficult to write every day. However, today there are many things I would like to address.

1. Though many things are related to Spina Bifida, not EVERYTHING is! Kids fall, scrape their hands, legs, knees, feet, etc. but that does not mean that you need to wrap your child up in bubble wrap before they go out to play. Whether your child has a disability or is able bodied, it will happen. As a parent myself, I want to protect my child as much as possible, however I know things will happen. No matter what you do, nothing can prevent accidents. You just have to pick your child up and have them try it again. They will learn how to adapt, improvise and overcome any obstacle that they may face. Sometimes, parents can be the ones to hold their children back, even though it may be because of good heart-felt intentions. Do not concentrate on their disability concentrate on their ABILITIES!!! If your child is active and mobile, you should encourage that by strengthening their muscles, including legs, core and arms. This will benefit your child throughout their lifetime.
2. Not everyone with SB has a learning disability, even AB people have them. Please do not tie everything up in a little bow and blame it all on SB. If you do not encourage your child to push past their disability and overcome obstacles, how are you preparing them for the real world and what obstacles they will face as adults? Learning disabilities can be overcome by teaching alternate ways of thinking and looking outside the box.
3. Independence is the key to successful people, whether they have a disability or not. Holding a child, teen or an adult back from being independent, whether partially or fully, is not helping your child succeed. It is inhibiting them and giving them a crutch to lean on for the rest of their lives so they can continue to say “I can’t” without even attempting to try. Even an “I tried” is better than an “I can’t”!
4. Public forums, social media, and other venues are a great way to communicate with others that have disabilities. However, it can be a detriment too. While they are great to see that other people are going through similar issues, remember the information that people give you in your situation is not gospel. Unless they are a professional in the field of medicine, education, psychology, etc., understand that it is their opinion. We all know what they say about opinions!!! Also, a lot of the information is incorrect or not up to date. Especially when it comes to SB. Even medical professionals have a hard time with the relaying correct information to their patients. So second and third opinions from medical professionals are very important. I personally cannot tell you how many doctors I have fired due to this exact issue.
5. Last, but definitely the most important, no matter what you are going through, there is a light at the end somewhere. We may not see the bigger picture at the time, however there is one. Learn from your struggles and disappointments. If we are not learning, we are not growing mentally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. All of this impacts how you handle situations and relationships!!! Push through the hard times, because there will be easy times ahead!!!!

Understand I am saying all of this, not to criticize anyone, however to encourage you to be the best you can be! This is nothing I have never encountered myself, so it does come from a place I have been before and sometimes go back to, however I have learned to push through the hard times and fight. I will not back down, I will not tell you it is easy, I will not lie to you or sugar-coat anything. I am honest and raw.

Shuffle on my friends!!!!!

Spina Bifida SURVEY!!!!

Please fill out this survey for me!!!!

I am looking to collect data on SB in the U.S. There is not much data on adults with SB and I am hoping this will help show the medical community that we exist and we deserve attention and medical care throughout our lifetime!!!!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S6RHX3P

I want your comments about my rants!!!!

Couple of things I have noticed recently on Facebook that is bugging the hell out of me and I would like to rant to get it off my chest!!!

I am a part of some “support groups” for specific medical conditions that I have, however people in these groups define support in a totally different way than I do and the way Webster defines it! So that being said, here is Webster’s definition of support:

1:  to endure bravely or quietly:  bear

2: a (1):  to promote the interests or cause of

(2):  to uphold or defend as valid or right :advocate <supports fair play>

(3) :  to argue or vote for <supported the motion to lower taxes>

b (1) :  assist, help <bombers supported the ground troops>

(2) :  to act with (a star actor)

(3) :  to bid in bridge so as to show support for

c :  to provide with substantiation :  corroborate <support an alibi>

3: a :  to pay the costs of :  maintain <support a family>

b :  to provide a basis for the existence or subsistence of <the island could probably support three — A. B. C. Whipple> <support a habit>

4: a :  to hold up or serve as a foundation or prop for

b :  to maintain (a price) at a desired level by purchases or loans; also :  to maintain the price of by purchases or loans

5:  to keep from fainting, yielding, or losing courage:  comfort

6:  to keep (something) going

And the definition of support group:

a group of people with common experiences and concerns who provide emotional and moral support for one another

Obviously telling them the facts, stating the truth, and NOT enabling them to concentrate ONLY on their disability is not support. According to certain people that is bullying, which I TOALLY 100% DISAGREE!!! Now how does Webster define bullying? Guess we need a definition! So here it is:

1: archaic   a :  sweetheart  b :  a fine chap

2: a :  a blustering browbeating person; especially :  one habitually cruel to others who are weaker  b :  pimp

3:  a hired ruffian

Now that we have all of that defined, can someone please tell me how these people in some of these groups throw these terms around when they actually do not know the definition and I am assuming have never really looked them up!!!

In these groups you see a few of us tell it like it is. We don’t sugar coat things, we don’t enable people to continue to whine and cry all the time about how “hard” it is to have SB, and we don’t coddle them either. This is because the real world will not do those things for them and we never had those things done to us and we turned out very well adjusted; socially, educationally, mentally, etc. We want those same things for these young adults growing up today. We want them to succeed and become better people, not just for themselves, but for their communities. However, if you tell them to knock it off or tell them how to handle situations they may find themselves in, we get referred to as the bullies. Now we aren’t being mean intentionally, we really aren’t being mean or malicious at all, yet we are bullies because we do not enable this type of behavior. Yes having SB does suck sometimes, just like I am sure being “normal” sucks too. Yet, it is not the end of the world and you can be independent and take charge of your own life if you would stop dwelling on your disability and concentrate more on your abilities! How is this being cruel? It isn’t! I find this term “bully” being used way to often in situations where others are just grasping for straws. Leave this word, this term, to those situations where someone is truly a bully, where they don’t care about you and perceive you are weak. The only one whom determines if you are weak or not is yourself!

So to continue, you have the pictures in these feeds. Not to piss anyone off, honestly I don’t really care if anyone gets offended, but if you are posting pictures of your completely disgusting and so infected sores/wounds that you need to be at the wound care clinic and even then they’d probably admit you to the hospital, PLEASE put a warning on your initial post to proceed with caution. Then if you must post the picture, out of respect for others in the group, post the picture in the comments. Even then that makes me want to psychoanalyze you and your need to be posting the pictures in the first place!!! Is it for attention? Is it for sympathy? Are you trying to prove something? Why, just why????

Then comes the parents!!! Holy Mother of all that is good!!!! Now they do all that has been mentioned above and even more but they use their child! Their child who has yet to learn of social media, has no voice as to what is being said or shown of their selves, and who are totally innocent yet sometimes is used as a pawn to gain something from total strangers! Now I understand that having a child with a disability is hard, I do understand. However it is not only hard on the parent’s, it is hard on the siblings, the family as a unit and most importantly, it is hard on the child. That is just it though, nobody said parenting was easy! I just don’t understand how you can bitch about how inconvenient it is to take care of your child’s medical needs because it does not fit into YOUR schedule! Every parent has to change their child’s diaper and feed them – that is what parent’s do!!

Yet again, posting pictures! Why must you post pictures of your child’s sores or other things so that strangers can see how “hard” it is to take care of your child especially when you have a nurse in your home almost full-time! I don’t get this!! My mother took care of three kids, went to college full-time while my dad was working and gone pretty much the entire week, and STILL was able to look after my medical care along with my siblings and their childhood needs! She did all of that without the help of a nurse or extra set of hands. Thank goodness because she taught me how to be independent, how to handle my medical needs by myself, and how to understand that even though I may have a disability, I had more abilities!!!!

Why do must people do these things? I am glad I didn’t grow up with my face and all my scares thrown up on social media. I think if I had, I would have never been able to speak out about SB in the manner that I do now. I think I would have been even more self-conscious and probably would have withdrawn during my teenage years and possibly I would have never gone to college. I would probably have feared that someone would find those pictures of me on social media and use it against me like cruel kids do these days. I would have been mortified! I also probably would have not dated and I am stepping out on a ledge here but I don’t know if I would have even thought about getting married.

My question to y’all is this, what is your opinion on these topics? Have you ever experienced anything like what was mentioned above, good or bad? What do you think will help these young people growing up with disABILITIES? Leave a comment for me!!!!

 

Shuffle on my friends!!!!!

In response to Ellen’s new sitcom “One Big Happy”

Ms. DeGeneres, @TheEllenShow

I have been a fan of yours for many years now. I have laughed at your jokes, cried during your TV show when you reunited people, and was amazed by the talented people whom you have picked to play music, sing, and dance on your daytime talk show. However, this last week, I saw something on a show that you produce that did not seem to match what I have seen and heard to be true about you and your beliefs. On “One Big Happy” there was a joke about the female lead taking folic acid because she didn’t what a stupid baby, like a stupid, stupid baby. I was shocked that this was something that was okay to joke about, because it is not okay. Actually to be perfectly honest, it went way over the line.

Folic acid is a vitamin/supplement that women who want to get pregnant or whom are pregnant are encouraged to take in hopes that it will prevent neural tube defects, primarily Spina Bifida (SB for short). SB is a birth defect that is developed within the first 28 days of conception, which honestly most women do not know at that time that they are pregnant. The FDA and the SBA have promoted folic acid in hopes to reduce the number of babies born with SB. SB is one of the most common birth defects and cannot be cured though however it can be managed with proper medical care, early diagnosis and continued medical intervention including but not limited to surgical intervention to extend the life of the individual and treat the individual’s medical conditions that are associated with the diagnosis of SB.

SB is not a death sentence, though severe cases, depending on the type of SB and the locations that it effects related to the spine and the nerves, could result in long-term continuous care. However, individuals with SB are not stupid!! Most individuals whom are diagnosed with SB function at average to above average intellectually. Telling jokes about folic acid when it has been used as a preventative supplement directly connected with SB is absolutely asinine. So many disabilities have been in the spot light, including but not limited to MS, CP, Autism, and even Downs Syndrome and has been a forepaw to joke about these medical diagnosis. However, it seems okay to the writers of this show and to you as a producer to joke about folic acid. This is very disturbing and upsetting to the SB community as a whole.

I am a 34 year old woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister, college graduate, and professional who just happens to have SB. I have excelled at everything that I have done and continue to do so, even when odds are stacked against me and sometimes have to adapt to make things easier for me to accomplish in a world that frowns upon or outcast individuals that are labeled disabled. I have always put my abilities before my disability as have many of my friends. I do not let SB define me, nor will I ever let it define me because I am so much more than a birth defect.

SB happens more than most, including the medical community, are willing to admit. We need more activist telling the facts about this birth defect rather than comedians who think it is a great way to joke about a condition that they seem to know absolutely nothing about and seem not to be willing to learn so they could help a community of individuals that deserve the same respect that others have obtained from their communities and the nation. Not only do we have to fight every day for respect and understanding, as we age we have to fight for adequate health care to continue into adulthood. This is something I myself have been fighting since my early twenties. Unfortunately, the best doctors who treat SB are pediatric doctors and release us at the age of 18 or if we are lucky at the age of 21. This leaves us adults without treatments we deserve and need desperately to continue living a happy fulfilled life with our family and friends.

I would have expected more from an individual, like yourself, whom advocates for many different causes. I would love to believe that your writers and you yourself, did not mean for this joke to have a negative effect on a community of individuals who did not choose to have SB but have learned to embrace it and excel at whatever they decided to do throughout their lifetime. We need advocates whom are willing to put SB in the limelight using factual data to help build more awareness throughout this nation and in the medical community. With all the negative comments and jokes that Hollywood has produced regarding SB, I think it is time for someone to take a stand and offer us an apology. I would encourage you, Ellen, someone who I see as a strong female role model for many, to take a stand for us. I also would suggest that maybe on your talk show, you could highlight those with SB whom have accomplished great things and possibly bring some of us on your show to speak with you and give you the facts about this birth defect that affects many individuals. I know of two other people who would be willing, along with myself, who would love to meet with you and SB. The three of us are trying very hard to change the SB community for the better by making it an easier world for the new generation of children that are being born with SB and making changes in the way the medical community views the diagnosis.

Social media has had some damaging effects on the SB community and it’s very sad to see that individuals in their 20’s who don’t believe independence is possible and continue to live in a world of negativity and depression. We have encountered this all too often and find that these young people are concentrating more on their disability rather than their ability to be great leaders and advocated in their communities and more importantly, in their lives, to better educate expected mothers and grow to be better more productive members of society. I do not want that kind of lifestyle affecting the younger generations. Some of us have worked so hard to push the boundaries of this stigma associated with SB.

I encourage you, Ellen, to really take this to heart and consider what I have asked of you. You know what is like hiding something for many years with the fear of repercussions from people around you, your fans, and possibly your career. However, we respect you even more for being who you truly are, which is, an amazing woman who overcomes any obstacle that you have encountered with determination and laughter. I truly wish you the best and please continue to dance for those of us who are not able to due to our disabilities!!!! Best wishes, always to you, your family, and your success!!!

With sincerity!!

Christina Pepper

Updates and learning time management

So I haven’t blogged in a while and I apologize profusely!!!! Time management is something we all could use more practice with especially when you are working a full time job, managing your household and your health plus numerous other projects!!! So here is the lowdown on what has happened these last few weeks!!

I “graduated” from my training class at work and now I am adjusting to my regular schedule which is over night. My body is wants to adjust but things that need to happen must be accomplished during the day when stores and doctor’s offices are opened. It is sad that there are a lot of people that work over night however the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge that schedule. Sometimes I wonder if we work too hard and too much just to keep up!

My pain has increased however I do believe this is a direct correlation to getting back into the working field and dealing with the adjustments. I refuse, however to give up especially when my family needs this extra income! I am sure at some point my body will adjust, like it has before, and the pain will level out to a much more tolerable level. I also feel guilty that my home is not kept how it should be however again this an adjustment that we will overcome!

No matter what ability or disability that you may have or not have, does not mean that you are incapable of following your dreams and doing what is necessary to provide for your family, whether it be financially, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Those things will always be necessary for the family unit to thrive and you are always an essential part of that unit.

Putting yourself on a detailed schedule can help you in many ways with time management however you have to be dedicated. It is a learning curve I know and one that I have always struggled with, however communication with yourself and your family is always the best way to develop your time management skills. I will be researching better ways to manage the time I spend and making it productive without giving up on the things that mean the most to my family and myself!

I love blogging and it is a release for me to vent my frustrations and achievements. Plus it is a way for others who may be in the same situation or one like mine to know there are other people out there fighting the same battles and achieving success no matter what odds may be stacked against them!

I hope that all my readers will understand that I am dedicated to this blog and to informing the world about Spina Bifida, RSD/CRPS, pain management, and other issues as the blog continues to grow. However the learning curve may take me away from this from time to time but I refuse to give up on what I am passionate about, this blog being one.

Know that like everyone else, I am and will continue to be, a work in progress. I will continue to grow as an individual, a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a blogger amongst other things that define me! I hope that you all understand and know that I feel I have been called to this mission of informing the world that no matter what your odds may be that you are always needed and are important to others!!! I will not stop till I know that I have made a difference in this world no matter how big or small it may be!!!

That being said……shuffle on my friends!!!!!

Simple Medical Worksheet Outline

SIMPLE MEDICAL WORKSHEET OUTLINE

(with examples)

****All that is bolded and underlined below, should be on your worksheet (bolded & underlined), so they are able to view and distinguish between the different fields. I would also single space it so you can fit more onto one page****

MEDICAL HISTORY

Name of Patient

Date of Birth

Insurance information

Parent’s Name

Parent’s Contact Information

ALLERGIES (this needs to be in red bolded font and highlighted)

DIAGNOSIS (list these individually, on separate lines)

Spina Bifida

Hydrocephalus

Neurogenic Bladder (must catheterize)

MEDICATIONS (list the name, dosage amount, and dosage schedule – you also can google how to abbreviate dosage schedule EX: prn, bid, tid)

Ditropan 10mg/pm (meaning you take 10mg at night)

SURGERIES (list year, exact surgical procedure, hospital name, hospital location)

2011       Release of Tethered Cord            Vanderbilt Hospital, Nashville, TN

DOCTORS (the one’s you see on a regular schedule, what specialty, list their name, address, and telephone, you can do this in two columns and use abbreviation for their specialty)

Dr. Joe Smith – General Practitioner/Primary Care Physician (GP/PCP)

1234 Medical Park

City, State, Zip

(555) 555-5555

Dr. John Doe – Neurologist

4567 Medical Plaza Dr

City, State, Zip

(555) 555-5555

*********** You should make this as a Word document and save it, so you can update information. It is a good idea to make multiple copies. Keep one in your purse, in your car, in your child’s backpack, file one with the school, at home where you store emergency numbers and information, leave a copy out for the babysitter in case of an emergency, file a copy in the medical binder, take them to all doctor’s appointments (either give them the sheet or have them make a copy), and bring them to the ER or Urgent Care facilities if your child needs to see a doctor quickly. This helps you know all the information many doctor’s offices and ER’s need to know to help determine the best care for your child. Keeping it up to date will also help you keep track of everything.*************************

Hope this helps you my friends! Keep shuffling on!!!

What I call “the movement”

As I have become more active in listening (or in this case, reading) through the SB pages and Facebook pages, I have noticed a different change in attitude through the generations of people with SB and how they are raised. Everyone has their own way of raising their children because that is their right as a parent. However, you have to take into consideration how it will affect your child and their quality of life!

I have noticed as the younger generations start getting older, the influence their parent’s have on them becomes even more prevalent to their attitudes and how it affects them medically, socially, emotionally, etc. I also have noticed a big change from I can do this, even though it might be different a different way from able-bodied people, to the phrase “I can’t do (insert here) because I have SB.”

Older generations did not have access to the internet or if they did it was very limited. They did not have the opportunity to discuss with other people with SB as openly and as easy as we do today. So their parent’s raised them to have the mindset that “I can’t” is not in their vocabulary. “You can” is the phrase that they were raised with and still use to this day! Whether they actually can or adapt to the situation according to their abilities, they will rise above SB! They have succeeded physically (with accordance to their abilities or non-abilities), professionally, socially, and so much more. They have been raised to believe that even though a particular doctor has set limitations on them, they will overcome and prove the medical community wrong.

Now there is “the movement” in the SB community that refuses to improvise, adapt, and overcome their limitations. They use their specific diagnosis as a huge crutch, to put limitations on what they are very capable of achieving. It is too the point that it has affected many areas in their life, including their independence. It also seem to effect them further more into becoming socially inept. This saddens me to my core!!!!

My parent’s raised me to be independent, to eliminate the words “I can’t” and to succeed no matter what obstacles may stand in my way. Now there are some things that I might not be able to do anymore that I have done in the past, however I have  managed to improvise, adapt and overcome those particular obstacles.

No matter how your parent’s may or may not have raised you or what doctors have said what you can or cannot do; it is up to you as an individual to either use that crutch or rise above it! Learn that there are children with SB that need a positive role model. If you are always negative and full of I cant’s instead of I can, what are you reflecting onto them? Are you affecting them in a positive or negative way? Are you affecting the way new parent’s think when they find out their newborn has SB? Think about it, seriously, think about it!!!

Look for future blog posts for parent’s with children whom have SB!!!!

Shuffle on my friends!!!

Disablities and Sexuality

This is a warning, a huge warning!! You may like this, you may not. You may hate me or you may fall in love with me. (I’m already taken though!) You may learn something new!!! I am honest, raw, and totally me!!! So the warning has been sent!!!!

So, let’s first discuss the word disability. This means that there are some, not all, abilities that we may or may not have. However, it does not mean that we lack some of the basic human needs. We want to be loved, touched, cared for in ways that able-bodied people do too. It is ingrained in the human DNA to have these wants and needs no matter what abilities you may or may not have. We just may have to go about certain things, like sex, in a different way than most people. I do want to say that at the moment I still have the ability to walk. With SB you never know what might happen and the doctors can’t say for sure what might happen later down the road. However, I do have limitations in other areas of my life and abilities.

Let’s get down and dirty, right now!!! Can SB or disabled people have sex???? ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!! We may not be able to be all porn star like in bed, but we will do what we have to!!!! Everyone has that sexual drive within them. Some may be stronger and some may be harder to turn on, but we all have that need. Don’t assume that you know what ability they may or may not posses.

Don’t start assuming that the moment you see someone in a wheelchair, walking with a walker or braces, that automatically that inherent drive is shut down and that they can’t rock your world!!! Don’t assume that if you see a person that has a disability with another person, that there is no possible way those two can be in a relationship.

Now I will let you in on a little bit of my personal life. I am married to a wonderful man, who I met 14 years ago when he was an active duty Marine. We were married in 2007 and in late 2008 we delivered an amazing healthy little guy into the world. My husband’s sex drive is out the roof!!! Obviously, he’s a Marine!!! If you ever hung out or know about Marine’s you would totally understand that statement. My sex drive is not ON all the time, but I am female and we tend to take longer to get turned on. It’s not a light switch guys, it’s something you have to build up to! It has nothing to do with my SB nor my actual ability to have sex.

My husband and I have learned through the years we’ve been married, how to turn each other on just like a “normal” couple. Everyone has a different way of learning about their bodies and their partners bodies; what stimulates them and what drives them crazy. What works for one couple or person may not work for you or your relationship! That’s why exploration is so much fun and very important!!!!

So please don’t assume that you know what a person is capable of based on how they look or what abilities they may or may not posses!!! Just like “normal” couples we may go at it like bunnies or we may take it nice and slow. However, I think we have an advantage to “normal” couples, because we get to experiment more and find new ways to accommodate each other in the bedroom!!! Don’t be jealous, it’s just the way it is!!!!

Shuffle on my friends, or in this case, get your groove on!!!!

My Experience with Social Media and SB: Part 5

My experience with social media and SB has reached yet another part to the series!!! This one ties directly into Part 4 and all the negative, doomsday, woe is me crap that these kids like to produce on the sites. I have come to somewhat of a conclusion that they feed on all the negativity. Whether it be what they might post or the positive and uplifting comments which they turn around and start spouting (or in this case, typing) negativity throughout these long feeds. Sometimes you just want to reach through the computer and slap them back to reality or just to see if there might be a brain cell that has some intellect that will snap back on in their heads!!!

So as I have stated before, these kids need to start listening to the older generations of people with disabilities. The older generation was raised mostly without connection to others whom have the same condition they have and with a positive attitude. They were raised thinking how can I adapt to do what I need to do instead of I can’t so I won’t. They were raised that the sky is the limit and I will (my favorite song) defy gravity and prove that I am worth everything and I will reach even my highest goals! Now isn’t that the way everyone should think????

Well according to some of these sites, sadly that is not the case.

As you spew negativity you start to alienate people who are able to help you because they have been there, done that or have the knowledge to help you through and see the positive side of the situation. Now on these sites, the older generations are tending to either just leave or they are starting their own sites with stricter guidelines. This now has effected the younger generations because they will not have anyone to look up to whom many have achieved so much despite their disabilities.

So where does this leave them??? I think that the younger generation is just writing their own version of Dante’s Inferno  and developing their own circles of hell. As each one posts more and more can’t, won’t, not able, woe is me – a new circle is added because others fuel that fire. I don’t even know if Dante envisioned that there could be more circles, let alone the type of people that would fill them. I also don’t believe Dante thought that these circles could develop in the living world. His circles where about the afterlife, however, this is the living and it’s making a whole new meaning to the phrase, “A living hell”.

We all need to learn from history or we are doomed to repeat it! I have a slight feeling that these kids don’t care to help and leave a positive future for the children with SB or any disability. If you can’t learn from the generations before you, whom else will you learn from???

As the Marine’s would say, “Lead, follow, or get the fuck out of the way!”

I pray that things may change but every time I look, a new post arrives that makes me want to bang my head on the table!!!!

All I can say is positive people produce positive environments! Let the light shine through you on to others! Don’t be living in a dark circle of hell on Earth. There is always a glitter of hope somewhere, however you have to fully open your eyes to see it sparkle!!!

So here is the theme song, courtesy of the Broadway production, Wicked, and to the two most amazing women on Broadway, Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth.

Shuffle on my friends!!!!!

Can I make it through my first week of work???? You bet I can!!!!

I have been in the Direct Sales business for a while now. I have worked with four different companies and are still running three of them. However, due to a lot of outside problems, I have not been able to work them like I know I should be so that I can have a steady income. Unfortunately, extenuating circumstances has popped up where I have to go get a job, so I can help my family with a more stable income. I really don’t mind, because honestly, I am bored a lot of times being by myself. So starting on Monday the 9th of February, I will be back in the work force full time. I still will be working my Direct Sales businesses, so I will be learning a lot about time management!

Working with any disability is about finding the right job that fits what you need and what you love. I have been in the banking/accounting field for a long time. Practically since I graduated from high school. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to stand like I used to for long periods of time, so being a teller at a bank was out of the question. However, I love the banking industry. I love helping people with their finances and I love making sure that they are in the right checking or savings account, or even in the right interest bearings accounts like CDs. (Throwing in a little financial jargon!) So, I have found an amazing job at a bank call center! I start training Monday for five weeks and then I will start my regular shift. My shift is a few people working together as a team to help customers over the phone with their banking needs.

I found the right job for me! I can sit and answer calls to deliver great customer service, which is something I highly love. I am also able to stand and walk around for a few minutes, if and when I need too. Having a disability doesn’t always mean you can’t work. You can find a job that is tailored to your needs and the company is tailored to your wants while accommodating  your needs and will place you where you will fit best in the company. I am blessed for finding all of that within a 3 week time period!!!

Don’t ever concentrate on what you can’t do, because can’t needs to be eradicated from your vocabulary. You might have to do things your way, which is different from others, but you also have talents or abilities that they aren’t able to do that you can do exceptionally! Each of us have so many gifts and talents that we can offer to everyone. That is what we need to focus on and learn to develop so that we can find a place to excel.

So can I make it through my first week of work??? Yes, I can despite what I may face physically! I have the necessary gifts, talents, and knowledge to offer my company and my team, to excel and rise above our expectations and goals. Having a positive attitude is the key to being successful in whatever you choose to do with and in your life!! Remember this quote:

Take those shots, whether you are on or off the ice!!!! You never know which shot will be the winning goal!!

Shuffle on my friends!!!!!